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Blarney Canyon - Left Fork (Mile 27.6
Canyon) - North
Wash, Utah
| Summary: |
A nice enough technical
canyon with 3 rappels and some sideways scraping
and down climbing along through a narrow twisty
slot. Short sections of wading may be required,
but you should not have do do any swimming. To
complete this canyon you will need 100 ft of
rope, webbing, harness, helmet & descending
gear. Leave the bolt kit at home, the canyon is
not bolted and should be kept that way. Natural
anchors may be used at all drops. |
| Directions: |
North Wash is
located off of Highway 95, south of Hanksville,
UT and north of the Hite Marina on Lake Powell.
Drive on Highway 95 to between mile posts 27 &
26 (about mile 27.6). Pull off the pavement onto a short
dirt road located on the east and park at the
end
(UTM
0539961mE,
4208163mN).
The drainage just to the left of this parking
spot is Blarney. |
| Road Conditions: |
Passenger Car |
| Navigation: |
Moderate - a GPS is useful |
| Length: |
~3 hours |
| Date Hiked: |
October, 2003 |
| Weather Conditions: |
Warm and Sunny |
|
Required Skills: |
 |
| Hike Description: |
From the car
park, walk left across the wash and work your
way up the slickrock. Once on top you'll see
that you are on an arm between two drainages.
Blarney is on your right (east)
Shillelagh is on
your left (west). When you reach the top of the
mesa you should be able to pick up a developing
trail which leads north to the heads of both of
these canyons. To get to the left fork of
Blarney, turn right when the drainage below you
becomes shallow and route find down into the
wash at (0540466mE
4209675mN). In this upper part of Blarney there
are two minor forks. The easiest way to enter
the canyon is from the west fork (or the first
one you come to). Rap #1 is 35' from a sling
around a large rock. Walk down canyon a short
distance and you'll soon arrive at Rap #2, which
is 20 ft from another sling around a rock, into
a tight slot. Continuing down canyon, you'll
soon reach Rap #3, which is 40 ft from a sling
around a rock, down into a deep, dark slot. A
bit of walking, down climbing and chimneying
will bring you to a junction with the right fork
of Blarney (the author has not yet been through
this fork). Below the confluence, the canyon
widens and it's easy walking back to your car. |
| Rating (1-5 stars): |
This canyon is relatively short, easy and
photogenic. It's also a good opportunity for
intermediate level canyoneers to practice their
use of natural anchors. The canyon was completed
by a group of 3 in 3 hours at a casual pace. |
|
Books: |
Technical Slot Canyon
Guide to the Colorado Plateau - Michael R.
Kelsey |
| Maps: |
Click
here for a
map of the area |
| Photos: |
Click picture for larger view, click your browser's 'Back' button to return to this page. |
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Rap #1 |
Rap #2 |
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Down climbing
in a
narrow slot. |
Nice canyon. |
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